This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. A pilot study enrolling 50 High School students age 12-19 (30 MD diagnosed, obese asthmatics, referred to our clinic for suspected asthma or by advertisement and 20 non-asthmatic controls) will be conducted in a hospital setting to investigate the relationship between breathlessness, obesity, and asthma. Our hypothesis is that a significant portion of obese children complaining of breathlessness will be due to deconditioning rather than asthma. Accordingly the profile of the inflammatory mediators will reflect such a trend by showing increased amounts of Th2, allergic inflammatory mediators in asthmatics while increased amounts of Th1 inflammatory mediators in obese, non-asthmatics. It is possible that these inflammatory marker profiles could be used as a diagnostic tool to help distinguish subjects with asthma from those who are only deconditioned.